Trestle



Jan. 19, 1954 c. Q. HUGHES 2,666,673

TRESTLE Filed Sept. 26, 1950 Claude 0. Hughes INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 19, 1954 ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRESTBE Claude Q.Hughes, St. Louis, Mo. Application September 26, 1950, Serial No.186,845

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structuralrefinements in trestles, more particularly trestles with foldable legmembers, and the principal object of the invention is to facilitateconvenient and dependable sustaining of the trestle leg members, eitherin an operative or a folded position.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity ofconstruction, in its efficient and dependable operation, and in itsadaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view and suchother objects and features as may become apparent as this specificationproceeds, the invention consists essentially in the construction andarrangement of parts as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the invention in its operativeposition;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View showing one endportion of the trestle in an inverted, extended position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective View of the subject shown inFigure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of r the subject shown inFigure 3, but in its folded position.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in thespecification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the generalreference character designates a trestle consisting of a beam [2 and apair of'leg members M which are connected to opposite end portions ofthe beam so that they may be folded from an extended, operative positionshown in Figures 1-3, to a folded position upon the beam, as illustratedin Figure 4. Since, the attachment of the two leg members to the beam issubstantially the same, it is believed that Ill a description of theattaching means of one leg v member will sufiice for both.

The foldable attaching means embody in their construction a hinge memberor plate I6 and a hingemember IS which is connected to the hinge member[6 by a hinge pin 28, the hinge member 16 being rigidly secured to theunder side of the "beam l2 by a plurality of screws 22 and being pro- 2ends thereof with plates 32, so that it assumes the form of anopen-sided box wherein the leg member I l may be rigidly secured bysuitable screws 34.

A locking bar or rod 36 has a screw threaded portion which extendsthrough the aperture in the aforementioned bracket 24 and carries a pairof wing nuts 38, 40, while the remaining end portion of the locking bar36 is provided with an enlarged head assuming the form of a plate 42.

The flange 26 of the angle 28 is provided at one edge thereof with aprotuberance or detent 44, and when the leg member I4 is in itsoperative, extended position, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the head42 may be engaged with the flange 26 at the detent 4d, so that byloosening the nut 38 and tightening the nut 48, the head 32 may be urgedagainst the flange 25, thus urging the flange 30 in abutment with theunder side of the beam I2 and firmly sustaining the leg member in itsoperative position.

However, when the trestle is to be folded, the nut 46 is loosened so asto permit disengagement of the head 42 from the detent 45, after whichthe leg member It may be swung, as indicated by the arrow 46, to afolded position shown by the dotted lines 48 in Figure 2, or by the fulllines in Figure 4, after which the locking bar 36 may be inserted in anotch 59 provided in the flange 30 of the angle 23. In this position,the head 42 is disposed at the outer surface of the flange 3E, and bytightening the nut 38, the head 42 will effectively sustain the legmember in its folded position on the trestle beam i2.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will beclearly apparent from the foregoing disclosure, and accordingly furtherdescription thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary. However, it maybe added that while the invention has been disclosed as applied-to atrestle, it may, of course-be also effectively employed in any foldablebenches, tables, stands, platforms, and the like. It is to beunderstood, however, that even though there is herein shown anddescribed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same issusceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of theinvention as herein described and within the scope of the appendedclaim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A trestle comprising a beam, a hinge including an elongated stationaryplate mounted longitudinally beneath the beam and terminating in anangularly extending inner end portion having an opening therein, saidhinge further including a swingable member hingedly mounted on the outerend of the plate and comprising an angle member including a pair ofintegral flanges, one of said flanges having a notch in itsfree'longitudinal edge, an abutment on the other flange, a pair ofspacedlegs mounted on the end portions of the angle member, a rod including athreaded end portion extending through the opening, the other endportion of said rod being engageable in the notch, a head on said otherend portion of said rod engageable selectively with the abutment or withsaid one flange when said rod is engaged in the notch, and nuts on thethreaded end portion 15 Number of the rod on opposite sides of theangularly extending inner end portion of the plate for adjustablysecuring said rod therein for urging the legs toward and securing saidlegs in open position or for anchoring said legs in closed position.

CLAUDE Q. HUGHES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

